GET FUNDED

The Indian Startup ecosystem is basking in a golden period. Many entrepreneurs are swiftly innovating and building in India for the world – thus partaking in the flourishing India growth story. Therefore, it becomes more pertinent that they have the right resources and opportunities at the right time to take the big leap and thrive.

With this intent, IDFC FIRST Bank has joined hands with Moneycontrol and CNBCTV18 to create ‘Leap To Unicorn’ - a one-of-its-kind Founder Success Program that provides mentoring, networking, and fundraising opportunities for India’s most promising startups through a meticulously planned journey. GET FUNDED

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GET FUNDED

Jury

  • Prashanth Prakash

    Founding Partner, Accel, India

    Has invested in and mentored over 200 companies, including Agrostar, BlueStone, BookMyShow, Clevertap, EatFit, and others. Member of the Government of India's National Startup Advisory Council. Recently, he also co-founded the $500 million ACT Grants fund to provide financial assistance to startups.

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  • Bhavik Vasa

    Founder & CEO, GetVantage

    Has 14+ years of global experience across FinTech, E-Commerce, Digital Payments, and Mobile technologies. His platform "GetVantage" has funded over 500+ start-ups. He also mentors and serves on the boards of several leading startups, including BnT Fintech, Vested Finance, Blue Tokai, and LivingFood Company.

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  • Siddarth Pai

    Founding Partner, 3one4 Capital

    Helped close over 120+ funding rounds and investments into 35+ different funds across private equity and public markets. He is an Expert Council Member at iSpirt, IVAC youngest executive council member and was named in Forbes India's list of "Tycoons of Tomorrow" in 2021.

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  • Shanti Mohan

    Co-founder & CEO, LetsVenture & trica

    A serial entrepreneur and angel investor who has funded and mentored multiple startups through her various companies and venture funds. She is also a member of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission's (KDEM) Advisory Council and is passionate about assisting entrepreneurs in finding the right opportunities.

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  • Aakrit Vaish

    Co-Founder & CEO, Haptik

    Invested in over 80 startups in India, the US, and Southeast Asia, including notable names like Unacademy and Pepper Content and Building Haptik, which was later acquired by Reliance. Aakrit has a strong foothold in the Indian tech space.

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Mentors

Ashwin Damera

CEO & Co-founder, Emeritus and Eruditus

Sabeer Bhatia

Co-founder, Showreel

Anand Chari

Deputy GM - SME & Startups Business Development), BSE

Shivangi Jain

Head - Corporate & Global Partnerships, Startup India

Sajith Pai

Director, Blume Venture

Anthony Anish

CDO, T-Hub

Amit Singh

Founder & CEO, Wow Labz

Vinayak Hegde

CTO, Microsoft For Startups

Arpit Agarwal

Director, Blume Ventures

Mohit Bansal

Founder, Deck Rooster

Mabel Chacko

COO & Co-Founder, Open Fintech

Arjun Vaidya

Partner, Verlinvest

Deepesh Agarwal

Co-Founder & CEO, MoveInSync

Chetan Bhatia

Founder, Honest Create

Gautham Sivaramakrishnan

Lead | Platforms - Market, Blume Ventures

Sanjay Mehta

Founder & Partner, 100X.VC

Akshay Verma

Co-founder, Fitpass

Akash Gehani

Co-Founder, Instamojo

Hemendra Mathur

Co-Founder, ThinkAg

LS Ravi

Director, Finvisage Treasury Solutions

Ashish Kumar Singh

CHRO, Meesho

BOOTCAMP

PHASE 1

Orientation & Fundamentals Of Starting Up

PHASE 2

Building what people want

PHASE 3

Customer Acquisition & Expansion

PHASE 4

Building a Culture & Team

PHASE 5

Fundraising

The Latest

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Inside the Bootcamp Sessions that are Prepping India’s Startups for Funding Success

The month-long bootcamp sessions, as part of Leap To Unicorn, were a definitive guide to building and scaling a successful early stage startup.

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tset

Take a look at the ‘Journey Beyond Unicorn’ with Nikhil Kamath

The ‘Journey Beyond Unicorn’ session with Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, epitomized the depth of knowledge and experience available to Leap To Unicorn bootcamp participants.

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tset

Startup Stories: OmniCard

Abhishek Saxena and Sanjeev Pandey from OmniCard highlight IDFC FIRST Bank’s unending support through various stages of their startup’s growth.

Watch now
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tset

Can Leap To Unicorn help India’s best startups find their mark? We’re about to find out!

The registrations have been evaluated and the selected startups have been announced. It’s time to prepare India’s top startups for funding success, as the next stage of Leap To Unicorn begins.

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Articles

Inside the Bootcamp Sessions that are Prepping India’s Startups for Funding Success

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Take a look at the ‘Journey Beyond Unicorn’ with Nikhil Kamath

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Can Leap To Unicorn help India’s best startups find their mark? We’re about to find out!

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A Look at the Unique Vision and Idea that Powers Punt Partners’ Success

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Subscribe to a New Way of Doing Business with Fleek

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IDFC FIRST Bank: Unlocking Foreign Investment for Indian Startups

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Taking Care of Business, with API Banking by IDFC FIRST Bank

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The Big Lessons Startups Can Learn from the Success of BuymyEV

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Charting the Rise of Health Tech in India with HealthismPlus

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Explore What the Future of Indian Startup Ecosystem Means for the Country

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7 trends creating unicorn opportunities in India

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Grip Investments Shows the Power of an Idea Lies in its Execution

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Startup Finance 101: When should you approach banks?

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Finding The Right Investors For Your Startup

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Discover the Spark Behind One of India’s Most Promising Start-ups

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Celebrating a New Dawn for Women Entrepreneurship in India

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India's Startups Prepare To Take Wing

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FIRST Wings: Banking to Help Startups Scale New Heights

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Videos

Startup Stories: OmniCard
How to Manage your Cap Table
Meet the Jury: Aakrit Vaish, Co-Founder & CEO, haptik
Meet the Jury: Bhavik Vasa, Founder, GetVantage
NASSCOM CoE Partners with Leap to Unicorn
Meet the Jury: Siddharth Pai, Founder, 3one4 Capital
A Fertile ecosystem for Startups - India
Startup Stories: NeoDocs
Startup Stories: BatX Energies
Investor’s Insights : Masterclass by Sanjay Mehta, Founder & Partner, 100X.VC
Startup Stories: CancerMitr (Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Special)
Giving Wings To Startups
Startup Stories: Metalbook
Startup Stories: LogiPe Fintech Private Limited

A VISION THAT INSPIRES

From founding one of India’s first unicorns to becoming an icon of meritorious achievement, the journey of V Vaidyanathan, MD & CEO, IDFC FIRST Bank, illustrates the power of belief and selflessness. Listen to the legend himself talk about the core values that have helped him rise above challenges and his passion to support other startups in their journey.

Helping You Grow

IDFC FIRST Bank is committed to supporting and strengthening the Indian Startup ecosystem and is invested in creating a platform for startups that promotes sustained growth. Under the FIRST Wings startup banking programme, we offer a suite of customized offerings including bespoke products and solutions for startups, founders, and investors.Visit here

Solution Stack

STARTUP ECOSYSTEM ADVISOR

Headstart Network Foundation is India's largest grassroots-level organization that has played an important role in supporting entrepreneurship and startups in 20+ cities, since 2007. As the Startup Ecosystem Advisor for Leap to Unicorn, Headstart will support through essential aspects of the overall process (from registration to boot camps to the finale).

Partners

Ecosystem Partners

Investment Partners



State Startup Cells